Magic (2)
Talent for magic comes in many forms, but the foundation of it all is the ability to manipulate magic power.
Only by controlling magic power could one complete a spell formula, and only by completing a formula could magic be made manifest.
Even as she handed Luciel the crystal ball, Meina honestly hadn't expected much.
Magic talent was rare — one person in a hundred, if that.
And even among those born with it, few actually chose to study magic. It was an arcane, convoluted subject, and its efficiency was poor.
Yet here was Luciel, who had come looking for Meina of her own accord, saying she wanted to learn.
It delighted Meina. She wanted to teach her.
But first she'd need to be able to control her magic power...
Luciel, crystal ball in hand, asked, "How much should I put out?"
"As much as you possibly can."
Meina had used that very same crystal ball when her own talent was first tested, and her master had said the same thing.
Pour out as much magic power as you can manage.
Meina, who had wanted desperately to learn magic, had clutched the crystal ball and groaned over it for hours on end.
Six hours later, she had finally turned it blue.
That was remarkable talent. Manifesting control over magic power in a single day was almost unheard of. Most people took a week or more.
Her master had praised her, and Meina had burst into tears of joy.
Back then, her passion for magic burned brighter than anyone's. Determined to become an Archmage no matter what, she had studied magic day and night.
Her progress was swift, and she came to believe she was a genius.
She wasn't, though.
Her growth had stalled at the 3-Star level.
A 3-Star mage was welcomed everywhere and could wield genuinely powerful magic, but honestly, that fell short of genius.
A true genius would have reached 4-Star by now, eyeing the 5-Star realm of the Archmage beyond.
Thankfully, elves lived long lives. She would reach 4-Star before she died.
But 5-Star? Could she ever touch the 5-Star realm that people called Archmage? Or would she simply remain at 4-Star until her years ran out?
4-Star was still a lofty attainment. The master Meina revered had been a 4-Star mage herself.
And yet.
My dream is...
Pah!
Meina's thoughts never got any further. The crystal ball in Luciel's hand had flooded with blue.
"Ah...!"
And the color was astonishingly vivid. Only a crystal ball brimming to its very limit with magic power could glow that intensely.
Woooong.
Then the orb began to tremble, unable to contain the power flowing into it.
Wait, hold on a moment—
Crack!
A fissure spidered across the crystal ball's surface, and it crumbled into shards.
"......"
Meina stood there gaping like a fish, every thought in her head grinding to a halt.
Long ago, when her own magic talent had first been confirmed, she had asked her master a question.
What if my magic power is so great that it shatters the crystal ball?
Her master had smiled.
Then you, my dear, are a genius.
With trembling hands, Meina took hold of Luciel's wrist.
"Just — just let me check one thing..."
She sent her magic power flowing into Luciel's body. Then her eyes flew wide in shock.
...Her circuits are already fully refined!
Circuits were the channels through which mana entered and left the body. Whether they were refined or not made a heaven-and-earth difference in how much magic power could gather in the heart.
Refining one's circuits took a minimum of several months, and in some cases years.
Yet Luciel's were already polished smooth as glass.
Meina sent more of her magic power through. This time she decided to check the amount of magic power stored in Luciel's heart.
Meina's power touched Luciel's heart.
"......"
Meina's voice shook as she asked, "...You've never studied magic before, have you?"
It was a question with only one possible answer. The only person in the village who could teach magic was Meina — and Meina had never taught Luciel a thing.
"No, I haven't."
"I — I see..."
Goosebumps raced down Meina's arms.
She had just confirmed it herself: Luciel's magic power was on par with her own. A child who had never once studied magic.
Moving magic power was a simple matter for me. After all, I did it every day while spacing out on my own.
To be precise, what I'd been moving was mana, but shifting magic power wasn't all that different.
If anything, magic power was easier. Mana had to be coaxed and soothed into motion, whereas magic power answered my will instantly.
As instructed, I pushed my magic power into the crystal ball with everything I had. The orb saturated to a deep, vivid blue — then snapped apart with a crisp crack.
"......"
I was mortified. That was a magical implement — surely an expensive one. I'd just destroyed it, and Meina might very well be angry with me.
I was about to apologize when she suddenly seized my wrist.
"Just — just let me check one thing..."
A strange energy flowed into my body. It had to be Meina's magic power.
The sensation was so odd that I nearly pushed it out on reflex, but I held back. Her power swept once over the magic power pooled in my heart, then slipped back out of my body.
"...You've never studied magic before, have you?"
"No, I haven't."
"I — I see..."
Meina looked at me with an expression full of tangled feelings.
"Is something wrong?"
Could it be that I had no talent for magic after all? But I had managed to turn the crystal ball blue. Sure, I'd also shattered it.
"...I think I need to go see your parents."
Meina threw on her robe and headed for the door.
"Wait here for me, dear."
Luciel's mother, Arnia, was picking fruit from the trees she'd planted in front of the house.
"Perfectly ripe. Luciel will love these."
Just then she spotted someone running toward her.
"Hm? Mage?"
It was Meina, the village mage. Running clearly didn't agree with her — she looked ready to topple over at any moment.
"Do be caref— aigoo."
Meina fell. But she popped right back up as if nothing had happened and came running to Arnia again.
"Hah — hah — Arnia...!"
"What on earth is the matter?"
"I need to talk to you... where is the Warrior Chief...?"
"He'll be back soon. Come inside for now — your knee is bleeding."
Arnia led Meina into the house.
It puzzled her. Meina, who shut herself indoors every day poring over her magic research, was suddenly raising an uproar.
And she needed to talk? About something important?
Curious, but first things first — Arnia settled Meina onto the sofa and examined her knee.
"Thankfully it's not serious. Still, since it's bleeding, I'll put some herb salve on it and wrap it up for you."
"Thank you..."
Arnia fetched the herbs and bandages and tended to Meina's knee.
Just then the door opened, and Luciel's father, Gallad, returned home.
"Mage...?"
Gallad tilted his head at the sight of Meina sitting on the sofa.
"What brings you to our home?"
"Ah, Warrior Chief. I have something to tell you. Concerning your daughter."
Gallad's expression hardened. Arnia, too, bit her lip nervously.
"It isn't bad news. Quite the opposite, actually. Well, you see..."
Meina was never good with words. So she simply came out and said it straight.
"Your daughter is going to become an Archmage."
"......"
A long silence followed. Gallad and Arnia exchanged a look.
Arnia reached out carefully and pressed her palm to Meina's forehead. Then she murmured to Gallad, "No fever."
Gallad gave a slow nod.
"I'll fetch the elders. Keep a close eye on her."
"Go on, dear."
Gallad moved toward the door. Meina shot to her feet.
"W-wait a moment, please!"
Gallad stopped and turned back.
"Calm yourself, Mage."
Arnia tried to guide Meina back onto the sofa, but Meina shook her head.
"You don't understand — your daughter is a genius. Her talent for magic is extraordinary. Not just gifted — she has the makings of an Archmage. I can swear it on the World Tree."
Meina recounted everything she had witnessed with her own eyes.
Luciel shattering the crystal ball. The flawlessly refined circuits in her body. Even the volume of magic power in her heart, rivaling Meina's own.
"For a child who has never once studied magic to show this much... it's talent on par with the Archmage Cadrien. Perhaps greater still."
Arnia's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth with both hands.
"Our Luciel...?"
"Yes."
Meina straightened her posture.
"Ahem. So — I was thinking of teaching your daughter magic from now on, if... if that would be all right? Even the finest talent needs proper instruction."
"Oh, we would be so grateful if you would!"
Arnia agreed at once. But Gallad asked cautiously, "...Does the child herself wish it?"
"She came to me directly and asked me to teach her."
Arnia smiled and glanced at Gallad.
"So that's why she was asking me all those questions about magic yesterday. She wanted to learn."
"Hm."
Gallad stroked his chin.
Just yesterday, Luciel had abruptly bombarded them with questions about magic. A child who normally spoke hardly at all.
He and Arnia had answered her honestly.
That magic was difficult to learn, difficult to handle, and inefficient unless one was born with the talent for it.
Not out of any disdain for magic — it was simply the truth.
And even so, she wanted to learn...
Luciel was a child whose heart was hard to read. She never showed her emotions, so there was no telling what went through her mind from one day to the next.
At times she seemed to be thinking of nothing at all; at others, she seemed burdened with a thousand thoughts.
Whatever the case, Gallad chose to trust Meina's words.
"Understood."
At first he had wondered if Meina's head had gone soft from burying herself too deep in her magic research, but after speaking with her, that clearly wasn't the case.
Gallad bowed deeply to Meina.
"Please, guide Luciel well."
Arnia bowed as well.
"Thank you for taking her on, Mage. She can be a bit blunt, but she's polite and good at heart. She'll never give you grief."
Meina waved her hands awkwardly.
"No — no, the honor is mine. Teaching a genius like your daughter is a privilege for me as well. Thank you for entrusting her to me."
And Meina, too, bowed to the two of them.
It was a heartwarming scene all around.
Then Gallad raised his head and said, "There is one favor I must ask."
"A favor...?"
"Please refrain from calling her a genius in front of the child. If she grows overconfident in her talent before she has achieved anything herself, she may come to take her studies lightly."
"Ah."
Meina understood what Gallad meant.
Luciel was only five years old. Heap praise like you're a genius or you have an Archmage's gifts on a little one often enough, and she might well become exactly that — regardless of her natural temperament.
She might come to rely on her talent alone and treat her lessons as an afterthought.
And that must never happen.
No matter how great one's talent, true devotion was required to learn. Only then could that talent fully bloom and carry her to even greater heights.
Meina calmed her fluttering heart and nodded.
"I will keep that firmly in mind."